Nautical clothing :SAINT JAMES Nautical clothing Nautical sweaters Fisherman sweater CANCALE II UniThe origins of the fisherman's sweater are to be found in Brittany. It is from there that merchants, during the 18th century, left to travel to England for the sale of their onions.

These merchants wore an item of clothing that made them recognizable from a distance: the striped sweater.

The French expression "marchand d'ail" (garlic merchant), which is what these people were called, became in everyday speech "chandail" referring to this item of clothing.

Knitwear, which until then had been made from wool cloth, was made in a very tight stitching, using a secret stitch which granted the pullover warmth, water proofing, and considerable resistance to both the wind and cold.

The real fisherman's sweater was a long garment, very close fitting, designed to protect a sailor's back and keep the body warm. The sweater was highly practical, very easy to put on as a result of buttons on the side, and in unwashed sheep wool.

Several variants appeared: colors like red, white, and the famous stripes. In the navy, the single-colored sweater was reserved for officers and the striped variety for sailors.

Originally intended for professional purposes, the fisherman's sweater has now become, like jeans, a 20th-century fashionable clothing item. Rooted in our common heritage, this mythical sweater is worn by both fishermen and amateur seafarers and yachtsmen, both at sea and in town. It is a real symbol of escape to distant horizons.